Harness.



W/TNESSES j 2 79/2/70 M/ PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

DUNCAN A. LEE, OF HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed August 10, 1906. Serial No. 330,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUNCAN A. LEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hot Springs, in the county of Garland and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Harness, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in harnesses for horses whereby the weight of a collar on a horses neck may be relieved and distributed to other portions of the body to prevent the neck from becoming sore through the chafing of the collar.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device as it appears when connected to the other portions of a harness and in use i on a horse, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the parts constituting my invention.

My invention is particularly applicable in connection with the common form of harness shown in the drawings and in which a heavy padded collar 1 and hames 2 are employed. The hames and collar are of considerable weight, and unless they fit the neck of a horse there is likely to be considerable chafing, and the horses neck is thereby liable to become very sore. According to my invention the weight of the collar and the hames is entirely relieved from the neck of a horse.

In the preferred form of my invontionl employ two pads 3, having rigid backs of metal or other suitable material and secured together by a yoke 4, extending upward therefrom and provided with a plurality of bolt-holes 5,in which the relief-bar 6 may be pivoted. These two pads are placed on the horses back on opposite sides of the backbone at the withers, and the relief-bar 6, extending in the same direction as the horses body, is pivoted in the yoke connecting the two pads. The front end of this bar is connected to the upper end of the collar 1 by a coiled spring 7, while the back end of the relief-bar is secured to a surcingle 8, surrounding the horses body back of the point at which the pads are located. This relief-bar 6 is pivoted at a suffi cient distance above the ads, and the spring is of a suflicient length, whereby when the surcingle 8 is tightened the back end of the relief-bar is lowered and the front end of the same raised to support the entire weight of the collar and the hames. The coiled spring allows for freedom of motion of the horses body and also gives a flexibility to obviate the jars.

The length of the bar 6 may be varied, and the relative proportions of the other parts may be changed to accommodate the device to horses of different sizes. The collar is partially supported upon the pads on the horses back and partially by the surcingle on the under side of the body. In this manner the weight is distributed and entirely removed from the neck.

It is thought that the construction and operation of my device will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings, and also other advantages from those above set forth will be obvious.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination in a harness, of a collar, a relief-bar having one end thereof secured to said collar, means supported on the back of the animal intermediate the ends of the relief-b ar and pivoted thereto, and means attached to the opposite end of said relief-bar for raising the first-mentioned end of said bar to support the weight of the collar.

2. The combination in a harness, of a collar, a bar, means for resiliently connecting said bar to said collar, means adapted to be supported upon the back of the animal and pivotally secured to said bar intermediate the ends of the latter, and means secured to the opposite end of said bar and adapted to surround the body of the animal, whereby the weight of the collar is relieved from the animal's neck.

3. The combination in a harness, of a padded collar, two pads adapted to rest upon a horses back, a relief-bar supported by said pads intermediate its ends and having one end attached to said collar, and means attached to the opposite end of said relief-bar for normally relieving the weight of the collar from the horses neck.

4. A harness, comprising a collar, a surcingle, two pads adapted to be supported on the back of a horse intermediate said collar and said surcingle, and means connecting said collar and said surcingle and pivoted upon i said pads.

5. A harness, comprising a padded collar, a surcingle, two pads adapted to be supported on the back of a horse intermediate the collar and s'u'rcingle, a rigid bar having one end mediate portion thereof supported above the pads, and a coiled spring connecting the: opposite end of said bar with the collar.

6. A harness, comprising a padded collar,

cingle, a rigid bar pivoted in said yoke and having one end thereof connected to the surci-ngle and the other endthereof' connected to the upper side of the collar.

pads spaced apart and adapted to be supconnected tothe surcingle and the intersurcingle and the other 7. A harness, comprising a collar, a coiled r ported on the back of a horse, a yoke conmeeting, said pads, a surcingle, and a rigid bar having one end thereof connected to the end thereof connected. to the coiled spring and pivoted to the v 5 yoke intermediate said ends. two pads, a yoke connecting said pads, a sur- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

DUNCAN A. LEE. Witnesses":

JOHN BREUCHERT, RoB'r. W. THRAsHER. 

